guilt

My life is very different from others, especially my parents. They lived through hard things, like financial stress, during their childhood and adulthood. They come from different countries, from countries that are less rich than the United States, where my family lives now.
My life is obviously easier than theirs. I never had to worry about where my next meal is coming from. I never had to worry about not having enough clothes or enough money to buy a piece of candy.
My life is much more comfortable. Much lazier. Much happier.
And I feel like since my life has been so easygoing so far, I don't need to pay with stress, but with guilt.
I feel guilty for having such a luxurious life compared to the generations before me. My grandfather needed to cross a giant forest to get to school. He had to walk for 10km every day, across a dark forest filled with wolves. He risked his life every day just to get a simple education.
And I...well, I fall asleep in the car on my way to school. I really don't need a school either, as homeschooling is an option, and any question I have can be answered with a screen and a keyboard.
Or my grandmother. She was born during the Second World War. She was hidden by her parents into a barn and had to eat table scraps. Life was harsh back then.
And I could reach into a drawer and eat a piece of chocolate anytime. I don't need to work for table scraps. In fact, I don't need to work just to have a five-course meal. Easy.
So my family paid with blood and sweat and tears. And I pay with guilt.
I'm guilty because I have it so easy. I'm guilty because all my family members lived through something traumatic, and I'm just living my life at its best, all handy and dandy.
I'm guilty.
But then again, I don't.
Maybe I didn't live through something traumatic, or harsh. But the stress society puts on me is insane.
Technology, right? People can communicate with each other thousands of miles away. We know what's happening around the globe. We are connected more than ever.
But the expectations for us, for Gen Z, is insanely high! I don't want to sound petty, or whiny, but my grandparents didn't have to worry about how fat they were, or if their makeup was too much. They didn't force themselves to do things they didn't want to just to feel cool. They didn't need to suck in their stomach just to feel beautiful.
My grandparents didn't beat themselves up if they get enough likes on a selfie. Or when someone called them ugly.
So I'm not guilty. Because we face different problems than they did.
We need to understand that being white, straight, and gorgeous isn't ideal! We need to accept everyone, and not force everyone to be the same person.
So I'm not guilty. We're living through our own dangerous problems. Toxic people can cost us our lives. A single mean comment could ruin our lives.
I'm not guilty because maybe our problems are harder than theirs.

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